Pebble bed modular reactor

Last updated

Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (Pty) Ltd
Company typeEngineering
IndustryNuclear
Founded1994
Headquarters
Centurion, Gauteng
,
South Africa
Area served
South Africa, International
Key people
CEO: Alex Tsela (acting since March 2010)
ServicesDesign, Project Management and Related Services
Number of employees
Est. 900, reduction to 9
Website http://www.pbmr.com

The Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) is a particular design of pebble bed reactor developed by South African company PBMR (Pty) Ltd from 1994 until 2009. [1] PBMR facilities include gas turbine and heat transfer labs at the Potchefstroom Campus of North-West University, and at Pelindaba, a high pressure and temperature helium test rig, as well as a prototype fuel fabrication plant. [2] A planned test reactor at Koeberg Nuclear Power Station was not built.

Contents

Reactor design

The PBMR is characterised by inherent safety features, which mean that no human error or equipment failure can cause an accident that would harm the public. [3]

Heat from the PBMR can be used for a variety of industrial process applications, including process steam for cogeneration applications, in-situ oil sands recovery, ethanol applications, refinery and petrochemical applications. [4] The high temperature heat can also be used to reform methane to produce syngas (where the syngas can be used as feedstock to produce hydrogen, ammonia and methanol); and to produce hydrogen and oxygen by decomposing water thermochemically.

The PBMR is modular in that only small to mid-sized units will be designed. Larger power stations will be built by combining many of these modules. As of 2008, 400MWt was emerging as an optimum module size, considerably larger than the original concept size.[ citation needed ]

The PBMR is fuelled and moderated by graphite fuel spheres each containing TRISO coated low enriched uranium oxide fuel particles. There are 15000 fuel particles per fuel sphere the size of a billiard ball. "Each fuel pebble contains 9 g of uranium, and this holds enough generation capacity to sustain a family of four, for a year. Five tons of coal and up to 23 000 m3 of water will be required to generate one pebble's energy". [5]

The concept is based on the AVR reactor and THTR in Germany, but modified to drive a Brayton closed-cycle gas turbine. [6] The core design is annular with a centre column as a neutron reflector. [5]

PBMR (Pty) Ltd – history

Since its establishment in 1994, Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (Pty) Ltd grew into one of the largest nuclear reactor design teams in the world. [7] In addition to the core team of some 700 people at the PBMR head-office in Centurion near Pretoria, more than 600 people at universities, private companies and research institutes were involved with the project. [8]

In 2006, the US Department of Energy awarded the PBMR consortium the primary contract for the first phase of its New Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) project.[ citation needed ] The scope for the first phase of this contract, which has now been completed[ citation needed ], was for the pre-conceptual engineering of a nuclear co-generation plant for the production of electricity and hydrogen. Requests for proposals for the second phase of the NGNP project will soon be issued, to which the PBMR consortium will be responding within the next few months of 2009.

In 2009 PBMR (Pty) announced that it was looking at employing the technology for process heat applications, [3] and some pebble bed reactor contracts had been put on hold to prevent unnecessary spending [9]

Wind down in 2010

In February 2010 the South Africa government announced it had stopped funding the development of the pebble bed modular reactor, and PBMR (Pty) stated it was considering 75% cuts in staff. [10] The decision was taken because no customer or investor for PBMR was found. Unresolved technical items, a substantial increase of costs and a 2008 report from Forschungszentrum Jülich about major problems in operation of the German pebble bed reactor AVR [11] had discouraged potential investors. [12] International banks refused to support the PBMR project by loans. PBMR's CEO resigned on March, 8th 2010.

In May 2010 Westinghouse withdrew from the PBMR consortium, which led to an end of the South African engagement in NGNP. [12]

On 25 May 2010 the company announced to staff that it intends to implement a "Care and Maintenance" Strategy. This involves the reduction of staff to 9. The stated purpose of the proposed structure is; preserve PBMR as a legal entity, preserve and optimise IP, preserve HTR license, preserve assets and solicit new investors. The strategy assumes that keeping on 9 employees in the medium term will leave sufficient funding to take PBMR to March 2013. The remaining employees will serve to end of October 2010. Some funding is foreseen for dismantling of the PBMR fuel fabrication laboratories in 2011.

In Sept 2010 the SA govt announced that in future, the South African nuclear program will concentrate on conventional light water reactors. [12]

The NGNP project will continue on HTGRs with prismatic fuel elements, not with pebbles as in PBMR, as was announced in February 2012.

R9.244 billion (US$1.3 billion) had been invested in the PBMR project. Over 80% came from the South African government, with smaller amounts from Eskom (8.8%), Westinghouse (4.9%), Industrial Development Corporation (4.9%) and Exelon (1.1%). [8]

Legacy

X-energy

About a dozen employees at PBMR later joined X-energy, including: [13]

Other employees joined the Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation. [13]

Stratek Global

A Pretoria-based South African company created a variant of the PBMR reactor. The differences in the two reactors are the Stratek HTMR-100 reactor functions at a lower temperature (from 940°C to 750°C), the HTMR-100 reactor directs the heat into water to create steam in addition to being helium-cooled. The HTMR-100 reactor is also smaller, with an output of 35 MWe. [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pebble-bed reactor</span> Type of very-high-temperature reactor

The pebble-bed reactor (PBR) is a design for a graphite-moderated, gas-cooled nuclear reactor. It is a type of very-high-temperature reactor (VHTR), one of the six classes of nuclear reactors in the Generation IV initiative.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rudolf Schulten</span> German physicist (1923–1996)

Rudolf Schulten —professor at RWTH Aachen University—was the main developer of the pebble bed reactor design, which was originally invented by Farrington Daniels. Schulten's concept compacts silicon carbide-coated uranium granules into hard, billiard-ball-like graphite spheres to be used as fuel for a new high temperature, helium-cooled type of nuclear reactor.

Passive nuclear safety is a design approach for safety features, implemented in a nuclear reactor, that does not require any active intervention on the part of the operator or electrical/electronic feedback in order to bring the reactor to a safe shutdown state, in the event of a particular type of emergency. Such design features tend to rely on the engineering of components such that their predicted behaviour would slow down, rather than accelerate the deterioration of the reactor state; they typically take advantage of natural forces or phenomena such as gravity, buoyancy, pressure differences, conduction or natural heat convection to accomplish safety functions without requiring an active power source. Many older common reactor designs use passive safety systems to a limited extent, rather, relying on active safety systems such as diesel-powered motors. Some newer reactor designs feature more passive systems; the motivation being that they are highly reliable and reduce the cost associated with the installation and maintenance of systems that would otherwise require multiple trains of equipment and redundant safety class power supplies in order to achieve the same level of reliability. However, weak driving forces that power many passive safety features can pose significant challenges to effectiveness of a passive system, particularly in the short term following an accident.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earthlife Africa</span> South African environmental organization

Earthlife Africa is a South African environmental and anti-nuclear organisation founded in August 1988, in Johannesburg. Initially conceived of as a South African version of Greenpeace, the group began by playing a radical, anti-apartheid, activist role. ELA is arguably now more of a reformist lobby or pressure group. Considered by some to be a key voice in the emerging environmental justice movement, Earthlife Africa has been criticised for being too radical, and by others for "working with traditional conservation movements" in furthering the environmental struggle.

Generation IVreactors are nuclear reactor design technologies that are envisioned as successors of generation III reactors. The Generation IV International Forum (GIF) – an international organization that coordinates the development of generation IV reactors – specifically selected six reactor technologies as candidates for generation IV reactors. The designs target improved safety, sustainability, efficiency, and cost. The World Nuclear Association in 2015 suggested that some might enter commercial operation before 2030.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High-temperature gas-cooled reactor</span> Type of nuclear reactor that operates at high temperatures as part of normal operation

A high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) is a type of gas-cooled nuclear reactor which use uranium fuel and graphite moderation to produce very high reactor core output temperatures. All existing HTGR reactors use helium coolant. The reactor core can be either a "prismatic block" or a "pebble-bed" core. China Huaneng Group currently operates HTR-PM, a 250 MW HTGR power plant in Shandong province, China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gas-cooled fast reactor</span> Type of nuclear reactor cooled by a gas

The gas-cooled fast reactor (GFR) system is a nuclear reactor design which is currently in development. Classed as a Generation IV reactor, it features a fast-neutron spectrum and closed fuel cycle for efficient conversion of fertile uranium and management of actinides. The reference reactor design is a helium-cooled system operating with an outlet temperature of 850 °C (1,560 °F) using a direct Brayton closed-cycle gas turbine for high thermal efficiency. Several fuel forms are being considered for their potential to operate at very high temperatures and to ensure an excellent retention of fission products: composite ceramic fuel, advanced fuel particles, or ceramic clad elements of actinide compounds. Core configurations are being considered based on pin- or plate-based fuel assemblies or prismatic blocks, which allows for better coolant circulation than traditional fuel assemblies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">THTR-300</span> Thorium nuclear reactor in Germany

The THTR-300 was a thorium cycle high-temperature nuclear reactor rated at 300 MW electric (THTR-300) in Hamm-Uentrop, Germany. It started operating in 1983, synchronized with the grid in 1985, operated at full power in February 1987 and was shut down September 1, 1989. The THTR-300 served as a prototype high-temperature reactor (HTR) to use the TRISO pebble fuel produced by the AVR, an experimental pebble bed operated by VEW. The THTR-300 cost €2.05 billion and was predicted to cost an additional €425 million through December 2009 in decommissioning and other associated costs. The German state of North Rhine Westphalia, Federal Republic of Germany, and Hochtemperatur-Kernkraftwerk GmbH (HKG) financed the THTR-300’s construction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HTR-10</span> Prototype pebble bed reactor, China

HTR-10 is a 10 MWt prototype high-temperature gas-cooled, pebble-bed reactor at Tsinghua University in China. Construction began in 1995, achieving its first criticality in December 2000, and was operated in full power condition in January 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AVR reactor</span> Prototype nuclear reactor in Germany

The AVR reactor was a prototype pebble-bed reactor, located immediately adjacent to Jülich Research Centre in West Germany, constructed in 1960, grid connected in 1967 and shut down in 1988. It was a 15 MWe, 46 MWt test reactor used to develop and test a variety of fuels and machinery.

A gas-cooled reactor (GCR) is a nuclear reactor that uses graphite as a neutron moderator and a gas as coolant. Although there are many other types of reactor cooled by gas, the terms GCR and to a lesser extent gas cooled reactor are particularly used to refer to this type of reactor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Next Generation Nuclear Plant</span> Cancelled American reactor project

A Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) is a specific proposed generation IV very-high-temperature reactor (VHTR) that could be coupled to a neighboring hydrogen production facility. It could also produce electricity and supply process heat. Up to 30% of this heat could be used to produce hydrogen via high-temperature electrolysis significantly reducing the cost of the process. The envisioned reactor design is helium-cooled, using graphite-moderated thermal neutrons, and TRISO fueled.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nuclear programme of South Africa</span>

As a member of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, South Africa uses nuclear science for peaceful means. South Africa's nuclear programme includes both nuclear energy and nuclear medicine. In the past there was also a military component, and South Africa previously possessed nuclear weapons, which were subsequently dismantled.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nuclear power in South Africa</span> Overview of nuclear power in South Africa

South Africa is the only country in Africa with a commercial nuclear power plant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Closed-cycle gas turbine</span>

A closed-cycle gas turbine is a turbine that uses a gas for the working fluid as part of a closed thermodynamic system. Heat is supplied from an external source. Such recirculating turbines follow the Brayton cycle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rainer Moormann</span> German chemist and nuclear whistleblower (born 1950)

Rainer Moormann is a German chemist and nuclear whistleblower. He grew up in Osnabrück. After finishing highschool he studied physical chemistry in Braunschweig and received a doctor's degree with Raman spectroscopic and theoretical investigations on hydrogen bonds in liquids.

The HTR-PM is a Chinese small modular nuclear reactor. It is a high-temperature gas-cooled (HTGR) pebble-bed generation IV reactor evolved from the HTR-10 prototype. The technology is intended to replace coal-fired power plants in China's interior, in line with the country's plan to reach carbon neutrality by 2060.

Shidao Bay Nuclear Power Plant, commonly known as Shidaowan, is a nuclear power plant in Shandong province, China. The site is located near the Xiqianjia village in Ningjin subdistrict, Rongcheng, Weihai, Shandong. The plant is located about 23 kilometres (14 mi) south of Rongcheng City, 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) northwest of Shidao, and 68 kilometres (42 mi) southeast of Weihai City.

X-energy is a private American nuclear reactor and fuel design engineering company. It is developing a Generation IV high-temperature gas-cooled pebble-bed nuclear reactor design. It has received funding from private sources and various government grants and contracts, notably through the Department of Energy's (DOE) Advanced Reactor Concept Cooperative Agreement in 2016 and its Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP) in 2020.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NN-PBMR_postponed-1109092.html World Nuclear News 11 September 2009
  2. ↑ "South Africa seeks to revive PBMR project". Nuclear Engineering International. Progressive Media International. 10 February 2020. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  3. 1 2 Steve Thomas (1 April 2009). "PBMR: hot or not?". Nuclear Engineering International. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011.
  4. ↑ "process heat applications". PBMR Ltd. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012.
  5. 1 2 Esmarie Swanepoel (10 August 2007). "Fuel for thought – PBMR fuel set for year-end production". Engineering News. Archived from the original on 19 February 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2009.
  6. ↑ IAEA Technical Committee Meeting on “Gas Turbine Power Conversion Systems for Modular HTGRs” [ permanent dead link ], held from 14–16 November 2000 in Palo Alto, California. International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna (Austria). Technical Working Group on Gas-Cooled Reactors. IAEA-TECDOC—1238, pp:102–113 [ permanent dead link ]
  7. ↑ PBMR. "Special report published by Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (Pty) Ltd of South Africa on the High Temperature Reactor Conference (HTR) that was held from 28 September to 1 October 2008 in Washington D.C." (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 September 2009.
  8. 1 2 "Second thoughts on South Africa's pebble-bed reactor". Nuclear Engineering International. 2 April 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
  9. ↑ PBMR (1 April 2009). "PBMR (Pty)'s Perspective". Nuclear Engineering International. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011.
  10. ↑ "PBMR facing massive cuts". World Nuclear News. 18 February 2010. Retrieved 16 March 2010.
  11. ↑ "A safety re-evaluation of the AVR pebble bed reactor operation and its consequences for future HTR concepts (archived copy)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 January 2012. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  12. 1 2 3 Barbara Hogan (16 September 2010). "Address by the Minister of Public Enterprises, Barbara Hogan, to the National Assembly, on the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor". South African Government Information. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013.
  13. 1 2 "Whatever became of the PBMR? - Modern Power Systems". www.modernpowersystems.com. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  14. ↑ "Dr. Eben Mulder - Leadership". X-energy. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  15. ↑ "Dr. Martin van Staden - Leadership". X-energy. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  16. ↑ "Theo Odendaal - Leadership". X-energy. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  17. ↑ "HTMR-100 team aim for pebble bed SMR in South Africa : New Nuclear - World Nuclear News". www.world-nuclear-news.org. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.